President-elect Donald Trump threatened severe consequences if hostages held in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, are not released by the time he takes office on Jan. 20 next year. “Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle […]
President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on members of the BRICS economic bloc who move to adopt a new currency to compete with the U.S. dollar. “The idea that the BRICS countries are trying to move away from the dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER,” Trump wrote in a […]
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden announced on Nov. 26 that the governments of Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a U.S.-brokered cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. “Today, I have some good news to report from the Middle East,” Biden said. “Just spoke with the prime minister of Israel and Lebanon. I’m pleased to announce that the […]
President-elect Donald Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, Nov. 22. The transatlantic alliance confirmed the meeting in a brief statement on its website on Nov. 23. Trump and Rutte “discussed the range of global security issues facing the Alliance,” the press statement reads. Rutte also met with Trump’s […]
The United States introduced sanctions on Nov. 21 against nearly 100 Russian financial institutions and 15 individuals in hopes of further constraining Moscow’s ability to wage war in Ukraine. The Treasury Department listed 54 Russian banks and 41 securities registrars for sanctions. The sanctions also target 11 Russian officials who work for the Central Bank […]
Brazil’s Department of Federal Police announced indictments on Nov. 21 against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and 36 others, on allegations they attempted to keep him in power through a violent coup d’état. The charges follow a nearly two-year investigation into the Jan. 8, 2023, breach of the Brazilian federal government buildings, including its National […]
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Chris Wray declined requests to testify at a Nov. 21 Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing. The Senate committee had called the hearing to discuss ongoing threats to national security and called on Mayorkas and Wray to address the committee in an […]
President-elect Donald Trump has named one of his personal attorneys, William Owen Scharf, to be his White House staff secretary. “Will is a highly skilled attorney who will be a crucial part of my White House team,” Trump said in a Nov. 16 statement posted on his Truth Social platform. The White House staff secretary is […]
President-elect Donald Trump has named energy industry executive Chris Wright as his choice to lead the Department of Energy, pending Senate confirmation. “I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy,” Trump said in […]
President Joe Biden met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Saturday for their final in-person meeting of Biden’s presidency. During their discussion, which lasted one hour and 40 minutes, Xi expressed China’s readiness to work with the incoming U.S. administration. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in […]
President-elect Donald Trump has named former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as his pick for the director of national intelligence role in his incoming administration. “I am pleased to announce that former Congresswoman, Lieutenant Colonel Tulsi Gabbard, will serve as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). For over two decades, Tulsi has fought for our Country and the […]
President Joe Biden will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru on Nov. 16. During a Nov. 13 press call, a senior administration official said the bilateral meeting will serve as an opportunity to review U.S.–China relations throughout the Biden administration and efforts […]
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing crises in Gaza and Lebanon. Before their meeting, Biden reaffirmed that his commitment to Israel is “ironclad.” Herzog expressed gratitude to Biden, calling him “a friend.” The Israeli president began his remarks by sharing the “sad news […]
The Qatari government has paused its involvement in mediating talks to reach a cease-fire in the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, after ending the last round of discussions without an agreement. In a Nov. 9 press statement, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Qatar had suspended its involvement in cease-fire discussions, but disputed claims that Qatar had […]
A military judge has revived a set of plea deals for three defendants standing trial for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin previously intervened to block the plea agreements. On July 31, the Pentagon announced Susan Escallier—the convening authority for military commissions, which oversees the 9/11 trials—had approved pretrial […]
The FBI has disavowed a pair of videos purporting to be made by the bureau that raise election integrity concerns. “The FBI is aware of two videos falsely claiming to be from the FBI relating to election security,” the bureau said in a press statement posted to its X social media page. The FBI statement […]
The Georgia secretary of state’s office recorded more than 4 million votes cast during the state’s early voting period, which concluded on Nov. 1. In all, the office logged 4,004,588 ballots cast, including 3,761,968 in-person votes and 242,620 mail-in absentee ballots. “As of Saturday morning, 92 Georgia counties have exceeded 50 percent turnout. This is […]
Up to 8,000 North Korean troops are in Russia’s western Kursk region and will likely begin fighting alongside Russian forces against Ukrainian forces along the Russia–Ukraine border in the coming days, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Oct. 31. The U.S. government has been monitoring what they believe to be a contingent of about […]
The U.S. Department of Treasury is implementing a new rule to limit outbound U.S. investments in Chinese companies developing advanced technologies that could impact U.S. national security. The Treasury Department rule is set to go into effect on Jan. 2, 2025, and is meant to create an enforcement framework for an executive order President Joe […]
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the FBI issued a joint statement on Oct. 25, declaring a video purporting to show someone ripping up ballots is a Russian disinformation product. The video in question first began to circulate on social media this week, and […]
